Sonic Donates Time and $15,000 to Fight Hunger in Oklahoma

More than 6,600 Pounds of Food Packed for Hungry Neighbors

(OKLAHOMA CITY) – Feb. 26, 2015 – Thanks to Sonic – America’s Drive-In, more than 6,600 pounds of food were sorted and packed today to ensure that seniors, children and families will have enough to eat this spring. In fact, enough product was assembled to feed 1,326 children for the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma’s Food for Kids Backpack program. Nearly 100 employees packed the donations at the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. Additionally, Sonic donated $15,000 to the Backpack Program, which will provide food for 750 chronically hungry children for an entire school year.

“Sonic and its employees are committed to fighting hunger in Oklahoma,” said Rodney Bivens, executive director of the Regional Food Bank. “Since 2005, Sonic has donated $130,000 to fight childhood hunger in the state. Additionally, Sonic employees volunteer on a regular basis to pack and sort donations for Oklahomans struggling with hunger.”

The Backpack Program provides a backpack of kid-friendly, shelf-stable and nutritious food to sustain children over weekends and school holidays. The food for the backpack program is purchased in order to control the nutritional content as much as possible. Last school year, the Backpack Program served more than 18,500 chronically hungry elementary school students attending 501 schools in the Regional Food Bank’s 53-county service area. According to a survey of Backpack Program Coordinators, the program has reduced absenteeism, improved grades and behavioral problems among chronically hungry children.

““The first time I gave out a backpack this year, a child cried and thanked me for the food,” shared one Food for Kids coordinator. “He ran in to his teacher’s room and said, ‘They are giving me food for the weekend!!!! I get to eat!’ Although it broke my heart, it made me realize how important this program is to children.”

Every $200 donated to the Food for Kids program will feed a child for an entire school year.

“If you have ever seen one hungry child you don’t ever want to see another,” said Bivens. “We are thankful for Sonic and their dedication to fighting hunger in Oklahoma. Thanks to their support, more chronically hungry elementary school students will have enough to eat this spring.”

Together, we can solve hunger. The Regional Food Bank and the Moore Food Resource Center always need volunteers to join the fight against hunger. For more information visit regionalfoodbank.org or call 405.600.3161.

About the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma

The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma is the state’s largest private hunger relief organization. The nonprofit provides enough food to feed more than 110,000 hungry Oklahomans each week through a network of more than 1,200 schools and charitable feeding programs in 53 central and western Oklahoma counties. Since its inception in 1980, the Regional Food Bank has distributed more than 550 million pounds of food to feed Oklahoma’s hungry. For more information, visit http://www.regionalfoodbank.org; find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/regionalfoodbank or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/rfbo.